Chapter 3 — Don't Press the Submit Button

The timeline, the file photos, Zhu Jinnian's testimony, how I threatened her, how I refused to save her mother... Each detail was more fluid than the last, more touching, without any loopholes. At the end, she looked at me, tears hanging from her eyelashes: "I just want to get back what belongs to me, so my mother can rest assured to heal... Hua Niem, we used to be best friends. I really don't understand why you treat me like that..." She cried so much that her shoulders shook violently. The disciplinary commissioner looked emotional. The Deputy Director also frowned, his eyes full of sympathy. Everyone in the room looked at me contemptuously, as if waiting for me to confess. To Tinh slightly raised her head, a trace of pride that could not be hidden appeared in her eyes. Chu Can Nien bowed his head beside him, pretending to be sad. Everyone thought I was out of cards. The Deputy Director looked at me: "Lam Niem, To Tinh have finished presenting. Do you have anything to say? Currently you have not submitted any written evidence. If there is no other proof, we will rely on the existing documents to make a preliminary judgment."The meeting room was eerily quiet. My heart beats very slowly. The mouse in the pocket vibrated slightly for the last time. "This is the moment!" I stood up, both hands on the table, my voice extremely calm: "I have proof." I took out the USB from my bag and walked to the presentation computer. Inside there is only one video file. I pressed the play button. The next second, the smug expression in To Tinh's eyes completely froze, her face as white as paper. Chu Can Nien suddenly stood up, the chair was knocked over, making a loud noise. 5 The video lit up on the screen. The camera was pointed directly at my computer screen. The time in the lower right corner appears clearly: 23:52. The mouse cursor moves, opening the folder in To Tinh's contest account. In the entire folder there are only three files. Sketch, first draft, and final version. There is absolutely no such thing as the "seven process files" that To Tinh submitted today. The video continues to play. I closed the computer, put it in my backpack, left the dormitory, went downstairs and entered the security room. Uncle Vuong's face appears in the video. I handed the computer over to him, and the video ended. There is only one continuous scene, without any cuts in the middle. The meeting room was silent. To Tinh's lips trembled, her nails dug deep into her palms. "This... is fake!" To Tinh suddenly stood up, her voice shrill and agitated. "You faked the video! You intentionally deleted my file before filming!" I didn't pay attention to her, opened the second file on the USB. "This is a surveillance video extracted by the school security department on the lower floor of dormitory number 6 and in the security room." I pointed to the time stamp on the screen. "Surveillance camera shows that the time you delivered the computer is 11:58 p.m., which completely matches the video shot with your phone." I turned to look at the deputy director. "In the evidence To Tinh submitted today, the four additional files that appeared were all created before the deadline. But your video proves that eight minutes before the deadline, there were absolutely no these four files in her folder." I paused for a moment, my voice falling heavily. "Those four files were faked by her later. She changed the time system.”To Tinh fell down into the chair, her chest heaving violently. Chu Can Nien pointed at me and shouted loudly: "You're lying! It's all faked by you!" I laughed coldly and opened the third file. "This is the upload log from the Baidu Cloud server. This log records the exact time the video was uploaded, along with the hash value of the file." "The server's timestamp cannot be modified by anyone. The notary office has preserved it."

evidence." I placed the notarization paper firmly on the table. "The video upload time was 11:59 p.m. that evening. From the time I finished filming until I uploaded it was only one minute. I don't have the time, nor the ability to cut or edit." The deputy principal picked up the notarized paper, and as soon as he opened it, his face immediately sank. Teacher Truong and Teacher Tran looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in the other's eyes. The pen in the disciplinary commissioner's hand stopped. He raised his head, staring at To Tinh. "To Tinh, how do you explain?" The deputy principal's voice was extremely strict. Tears fell from To Tinh's eyes. She kept shaking her head. head: "I don't know... I really don't know... She must have used hacker tricks..." "You don't know?" I interrupted her and opened the fourth file. "So this recording, you must know." The sound was played. Teacher Tran's voice came out: "To Tinh, you can contact the organizers to ask for an extension..." Next was To Tinh's self-pitying cry. Then, Chu Can Nien's voice rang out all over the meeting room. “Hua Niem, is there a problem with your mentality? To Tinh is my best friend. Her mother is in the special care room and could die at any time. Can't you lend a hand? If I press the submit button for her, will she die?